Google Reported to Have Acquired Twitch

The first rumors of the acquisition of Internet live streaming service Twitch by Google were reported in May, and sources have now confirmed the $1 billion purchase with Venture Beat. Twitch "enables people to broadcast their own gameplay sessions on the PC, Xbox One, or PlayStation 4 to online viewers," with popular streamers carrying more than 10,000 viewers at times. Twitch is also home to many professional gaming events including the recently completed International 4 Dota 2 event and the League of Legends Championship Series. Twitch has seen a large increase in monthly users from the 3.2 million viewers when started in June 2011 to more than 50 million users now. The site was reported to account for 1.35% of all Internet traffic by Sandvine in March.